The Counseling Center is dedicated to supporting the health and well-being of UMBC students, and staff are excited to offer new and expanded wellness resources. We hope you will take advantage of these important tools to support your personal development and help you make the most of your UMBC experience.
New WellTrack Interactive Self-Help Therapy App for Students
The Counseling Center now offers the WellTrack interactive self-help therapy app free to UMBC students. Use the modules to address concerns related to stress, anxiety, depression, and public speaking (this module available only on the WellTrack website). If you want to follow up with a counselor, the Counseling Center staff is here to help. Services are free and confidential for registered UMBC students. To make an appointment, call 410-455-2472 or stop by the offices at the Student Development & Success Center on Center Road (in between Chesapeake Hall and Susquehanna Hall across from Erickson Field).
Download the WellTrack app and register with your UMBC ID for full access; no identifying information will be shared with counseling staff unless you choose the option to do so. Please note that all of the Counseling Center’s screening resources are for informational and educational purposes only, and are not intended as a substitute for professional diagnosis and treatment.
Mind Spa Expands, Moves to Albin O. Kuhn Library and Patapsco Hall
Mind Spa is an important campus resource with self-care tools to help you relax, improve concentration and memory, and overall success as a student. Counseling staff have collaborated with staff from University Health Services’ Office of Health Promotion, Residential Life, and the Albin O. Kuhn Library to make it more accessible to all students. Mind Spa has moved out of the Counseling Center and is now available in two locations: Albin O. Kuhn Library, Room 367, and Patapsco Hall, Room 163. A UMBC ID is required to access either space.
Mind Spa is a quiet space equipped for the practices of mindfulness, meditation, and relaxation, and includes a massage chair, meditation cushions, hot tea, and other wellness resources. You can also check out light therapy boxes from the library location to use in the Mind Spa space or in your room.
Practicing mindfulness and meditation can have important physical and mental health benefits such as increased concentration, awareness, and regulation of emotions. Studies show that these practices have positive short- and long-term effects on the brain. You might begin to notice benefits from your experience at Mind Spa immediately or after a few sessions.
“These resources tap into our goal to create a supportive culture of care and wellness for our students,” says Alayna Berkowitz, who recently joined the Counseling Center as assistant director of outreach and mental health promotion. “There are many different ways to engage with therapeutic resources beyond the in-person setting. The WellTrack phone app is great for a generation that is using social media and apps more than previous generations. Not all students present for traditional talk therapy, and both WellTrack and Mind Spa offer students other opportunities – through a phone app and quiet spaces – to take care of themselves.”
Berkowitz adds that the Counseling Center’s goal is to make sure its resources and programming take into account the complexity of UMBC students’ diverse and intersecting identities and needs.
Learn more about the Counseling Center’s services and resources.
]]>The Center for Democracy and Civic Life’s Civic Life Maxims are four insights at that are at the heart of the Center’s work. This semester, with the help of Bill Shewbridge and his TV production class, members of the Center for Democracy and Civic Life staff and special guest SGA President Vrinda Deshpande recorded a series of conversations exploring the Civic Life Maxims for UMBC's In The Loop program. Click here to access the full playlist, or see below for links to each Maxim’s episode.
This Giving Tuesday, will you help support 36 UMBC students who will spend Spring Break 2020 exploring social challenges and potential solutions in Baltimore?
Alternative Spring Break (ASB) participants work with nonprofits, city governments, community organizers, residents, and activists. They develop a new sense of the human-scale impacts and dimensions of abstract, systemic issues: seeing the impacts on the people affected, and understanding a variety of perspectives on the problem. In addition, they develop skills that help them reflect on experiences; share, solicit, and make use of stories; build community; work in partnerships; and analyze approaches to problem-solving to identify what works, and what else is possible.
All UMBC ASB experiences are designed and led by students with support from the Center for Democracy and Civic Life. Please consider donating and helping us spread the word. Thank you!
UMBC’s STRiVE retreat has inspired hundreds of undergraduate students in the past 11 years. Now it's your turn. Spend five days building community and developing skills while exploring leadership for social impact. You will emerge with greater clarity and confidence about the contributions you want to make.
This year’s STRiVE retreat will take place January 13-17, 2020. STRiVE participants will make new friends, discover their strengths and values, learn how to work more effectively in groups, envision contributions they could make at UMBC, and tackle both simulated and real leadership and social change challenges. Past STRiVE participants have gotten deeply involved in campus organizations and initiatives, and have made phenomenal contributions.
To apply for a spot in STRiVE 2020, complete this form by Sunday, November 10, 2020.
STRiVE is hosted by UMBC's Center for Democracy and Civic Life, and sponsored by the UMBC Student Government Association. More information on this program is available below.
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STRiVE: FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is STRiVE?
STRiVE is an intensive, engaging and exhilarating off-campus retreat (5 days, 4 nights) developed by UMBC to help students become more effective leaders and participants in civic life on campus and throughout their lives. The STRiVE experience will include a bonfire, challenge course, simulations, and other fun activities.
Do I have to be an “involved” student to attend STRiVE?
Absolutely not! STRiVE will be helpful to any student regardless of previous involvement or leadership experience. No prior experience is necessary! We are looking for a diverse group of students committed to developing their skills and applying them to contribute to positive change in the campus community. The application asks about campus involvement only to give the STRiVE planning team a sense of the different perspectives participants will bring to the retreat.
When is STRiVE?
STRiVE 2020 will take place from January 13 - 17, 2020.
Where will STRiVE be held?
STRiVE will be held at Skycroft Conference Center in Middletown, Maryland. Participants will stay in motel-style rooms (sharing a room with 1 other student) and all activities will be held on site. Bus transportation between UMBC and the retreat site will be provided.
How much does it cost to attend STRiVE?
UMBC covers most of the cost of each participant’s attendance. However, there is a participation fee of $100 that helps cover some of the cost of transportation, lodging and food. Money should not be a barrier to attendance, however, and participants will be able to complete a form to request financial assistance.
When is the application due?
Sunday, November 10, 2019.
When will accepted applicants be informed?
Applicants will receive an email in late November with additional details about participating in STRiVE.
How can I find out more information about STRiVE?
Please contact UMBC's Center for Democracy and Civic Life by sending an email to David Hoffman (dhoffman@umbc.edu) or Romy Hübler (romy.huebler@umbc.edu). ]]>UMBC’s University Health Services (UHS) is working to educate students and the University community about a new CDC report on an outbreak of lung injury associated with vaping.
The Basics
As of Nov. 20, 2019, 2,290 lung injury cases associated with using e-cigarette/vaping products have been reported to CDC from 49 states (all except Alaska), the District of Columbia, and 2 U.S. territories (Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands).
47 deaths have been confirmed in 25 states and the District of Columbia.
All patients have reported a history of using e-cigarette/vaping products.
The latest national and state findings suggest products containing THC, particularly those obtained off the street or from other informal sources (friends, family, illicit dealers), are linked to most of the cases and play a major role in the outbreak.
Vitamin E acetate has been identified as a chemical of concern among people with e-cigarette, or vaping, product use associated lung injury (EVALI).
THC is present in most of the samples tested by FDA to date, and most patients report a history of using THC-containing e-cigarette, or vaping, products.
The Symptoms
Patients in this investigation have reported symptoms such as:
cough, shortness of breath, or chest pain
nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or abdominal pain
fatigue, fever, chills, or weight loss
Some patients have reported that their symptoms developed over a few days, while others have reported that their symptoms developed over several weeks. A lung infection does not appear to be causing the symptoms.
Remember
Do not buy e-cigarette/vaping products with THC or CBD oils off the street, and do not modify or add any substances to these products that are not intended by the manufacturer.
See a healthcare provider right away if you have symptoms like those reported in this outbreak.
Getting Help
Talk to someone at UHS (410-455-2542) or the Counseling Center (410-455-2472).
Contact The Haven at UMBC for recovery and sober living resources for students.
Visit the Substance and Mental Health Services Administration's treatment locator to locate treatment in your area, or call 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
Contact your healthcare provider, or call the local poison control center at 1-800-222-1222.
Visit the National Institute on Drug Abuse for Teens’ What to Do If You Have a Problem with Drugs.
Get resources and support at Smokefree Teen and Truth Initiative.